Playhouse



Au 20, 1968 J. F. MCE'LROY 3,397,710

PLAYHOUSE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1966 IN VEN'TOR fay/v f ML [120/ United States Patent 3,397,710 PLAYHOUSE John F. McElroy, 625 Orange Grove Ave., South Pasadena, Calif. 91030 Filed Dec. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 602,608 9 Claims. (Cl. 135-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A childs playhouse comprised of flexible panels adapted for installation on intersecting walls of a room to define an enclosed space bounded partly by the walls and the floor of the room.

Playhouses have always been a source of pleasure to children, and many different types of playhouse structures have been used in the past. These known structures have the deficiencies that they are typically bulky and not readily assembled or dismantled for storage or movement to another location. Furthermore, known designs which incorporate wood or metal panels are expensive, and often enclose spaces which are difficult for a housewife to reach with a broom or vacuum cleaner without at least partial disassembly.

I have developed a playhouse which is inexpensively produced from flexible panels of paper or plastic sheet material, and which is quickly and easily erected or dis mantled. The playhouse is suspended from one or more hooks or other fasteners which are secured to the wall of a room or other play area, and the panels forming several walls of the playhouse are readily lifted or moved aside to form an entryway for the child and to permit easy access for cleaning. The entire structure is light in weight, and poses no threat of injury to the child should it become dislodged from the hook by the accidental application of a large tugging force to the panels,

A significant feature of my design is that the flexible panels which form the roof and several walls of the playhouse can be arranged in various Ways to provide different styles of playhouses. A single kit of panels thus provides the child with a safe and enjoyable toy which is not quickly discarded as it can be assembled in different styles. The panels are preferably printed with a colorful design to enhance the overall appearance of the playhouse.

Briefly stated, the playhouse of this invention is ada ted for installation against a wall of a room or other structure to define :an enclosed space bounded partly by the wall and a floor of the room, and includes a pair of flexible roof panels, each panel being formed as a right triangle with first and second side edges and a hypotenuse edge. A pair of flexible wall panels are secured to and depend from the first side edges of the roof panels. Stiffening means are disposed along the junction of the wall panels and the roof panels for rigidizing the first side edges. A suspension means such as a hook engages the roof panels at the intersections of the second side edges and the hypotenuse edges, and is adapted to be szcured to the wall whereby the roof panels and wall panels are suspended from the wall to extend toward the floor.

The invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet folded to form a first subassembly having a roof panel, a wall panel, and a support rod engaged with the sheet;

'FIG. 1A is a plan view of a second subassembly;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a coupler taken on lines 2-2 of FIG. 3;

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FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional end view of the coupler taken on lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an angled-roof playhouse assembled in a corner of a room;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a flat-roof playhouse assembled in a room corner; (and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative form of the playhouse installed against a flat wall, and in which center panels are used to provide a larger enclosed space.

Referring to FIG. 1, a playhouse first subassembly 8 includes an elongated sheet 10 of a flexible material such as polyethylene plastic which is folded back on itself on a line 11 about midway along its length to form a rectangular wall panel 12 and a roof panel 13. The roof panel is cut in the shape of a right triangle, and the line along which the sheet is cut forms a hypotenuse edge 14 of the triangle. A first side edge 15 of the triangle is slightly spaced from and extends substantially parallel to fold line 11, and a second side edge 16 extends perpendicularly from the first side edge to intersect the hypotenuse edge.

A hole 17 is formed through the roof panel adjacent the intersection of second side edge 16 and hypotenuse edge 14. Preferably, the roof panel is reinforced around hole 17 by providing extra thickness in this portion of the panel or by installing an eyelet or grommet (not shown) in the panel.

An elongated lateral pocket 20 is formed in sheet 10 by securing together the roof and wall panels along first side edge 15. Where a plastic material is used for sheet 10, heat sealing is an inexpensive and rapid method of securing these panels together, but the panels may also of course be stitched or cemented together.

Subassembly 8 also includes a round, elongated support rod 22, formed of wood, plastic or metal material, which is inserted in pocket 20 and extends from each end of the pocket. One end of the support rod includes a notch 23 to make this end slightly compressible, and a rubber or plastic cap 24 is secured over the other end of the support rod. The ends of the pocket are preferably cut diagonally along lines 25 to provide extra clearance for the ends of the support rod.

A second subassembly '9 for the playhouse is shown in FIG. 1A, and is formed in the same manner as subassembly 8 With the exception that a roof panel 13A is oriented in mirror-image fashion to the orientation of roof panel 13. That is, a hypotenuse edge 14A of roof panel 13A is cut to slope upwardly to the left (as viewed in FIG. 1A), whereas hypotenuse edge 14 of roof panel 13 slopes upwardly to the right (as viewed in FIG. 1). Similarly, second side edge 16 is at the left side of roof panel 13, and a second side edge 16A is at the right side of roof panel 13A.

A pair of subassemblies 8 and 9 are used to assemble the playhouse of this invention, and the tWo respective support rods are preferably secured together by a coupler 28 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The coupler is economically formed from a round, elongated wood dowel which is drilled to define a central, longitudinal socket 29 therethrough. A transverse socket 30 is drilled through the side of coupler 28 to extend perpendicularly into the longitudinal socket. The sockets have diameters substantially equal to the diameter of support rods 22 so the rods make a snug friction-locked fit in the coupler. Notches 23 make the ends of the support rods slightly resilient so they may be readily inserted in the coupler.

One configuration of a playhouse 33 is shown in FIG. 4, and is assembled from two subassemblies 8 and 9 oriented at right angles to each other and positioned in a corner defined by a pair of perpendicularly intersecting walls 34 and 35 and a floor 36. Hypotenuse edges 14 and 14A of the roof panels abut each other, and second side edges 16 and 16A are positioned against the walls. The support rods of the two subassemblies are perpendicularly joined at coupler 28 by inserting the notched end of one support rod in longitudinal socket 29 and the notched end of the other support rod in transverse socket 30.

A hook 38 is secured to the walls at or near their intersection and above floor 36. The hook is passed through holes 17 in the two subassemblies whereby the roof panels are suspended from and supported by the hook. Caps 24 on the two support rods press against walls 34 and 35 to direct the roof panels outwardly away from the Walls, and to support wall panels 12 which hang freely from the rods. The elevation of hook 38 above the floor is selected to position the lower edges of the wall panels at or near the floor.

Wall panels 12 of the two subassemblies hang freely from the support rods and are not secured along their lower edges. A child can thus enter the playhouse simply by lifting aside one or both wall panels. Similarly, a housewife can clean the area enclosed by the playhouse by moving the flexible panels aside. The playhouse is readily dismantled by removing roof panels 13 and 13A from hook 38, and the two subassemblies may be folded or rolled for very compact storage.

By rearranging the support rods and coupler, another configuration of a playhouse 40 as shown in FIG. may be assembled. This form of the playhouse has a flat, sloping roof formed by positioning hypotenuse edges 14 and 14A of the roof panels against walls 34 and 35. Support rods 22 are reversed from the position shown in FIG. 1 to place caps 24 adjacent hypotenuse edges 14 and notches 23 adjacent second side edges 16 and 16A of the roof panels.

The notched ends of the two support rods are then both engaged in longitudinal socket 29 of coupler 28 to position the support rods in linear alignment. Second side edges 16 and 16A of the roof panels are thus positioned adjacent each other. Further steps in the assembly process are identical to those described above in connection with the angled-roof version of the playhouse shown in FIG. 4.

A larger playhouse 42 adapted for installation against a single flat wall 43 is shown in FIG. 6. In this form, two pairs of subassemblies 8 and 9 are used and are assembled in pairs as suggested in FIG. 4. A pair of spaced-apart hooks 44 are used to support the pairs of subassemblies 8 and 9.

Extending between the two pairs of subassemblies is a sloping roof center panel 45 and a wall center panel 46 formed from a rectangular sheet of flexible material such as polyethylene plastic. A pocket 47 is formed along the junction of panels 45, 46 in the same manner as already described with reference to pocket 20. An eyelet-reinforced hole 48 is formed at each side of the upper edge of roof center panel 45, and hooks 44 are engaged in these holes to support the roof and wall center panels.

A center support rod 50 is inserted in pocket 47, and is similar to support rod 22 except that it lacks a cap 24 and includes notches 23 at both of its ends. Caps 24 are removed from the free ends of support rods 22 in the subassemblies, and these rods are then connected linearly with center support rod 50 by a pair of couplers 28. That is, the three support rods which are parallel to wall 43 are all engaged in longitudinal sockets 29 of the two couplers.

I have found that polyethylene plastic sheet material having a thickness of at least 0.003 inch is well suited for fabrication of the various roof and wall panels used in the playhouse of this invention. This material is readily available in many colors, and various designs can be painted or printed on the outer surfaces of the panels to give the playhouse an appealing appearance to children. Furthermore, the polyethylene plastic is strong, resists tearing, and has excellent fire-resistance qualities.

The minimum thickness of about 0.003 inch is preferred to provide sufiicient body in the wall panels that they hang straight without wrinkling or folding, and to avoid any danger of being drawn toward the childs mouth during breath inhalation-a hazard which is recognized with very thin shets of plastic. I have found that wall panels measuring about 29 inches by 37 inches, and roof panels with a second side edge of about 36 inches provide a playhouse of satisfactory size for a small child. The panels can of course be cut in other sizes to meet individual requirements.

The invention has been described in several specific forms, but a number of variations in subassembly arrangement are possible. Similarly, the specific components of the playhouse are shown in presently preferred form, and various other forms are of course useful. For example, the coupler may be designed for threaded rather than frictional engagement with the support rods. Similarly, the supporting hook may be replaced with snap fasteners or other types of support means.

There have been described several different configurations of playhouses which can be assembled in buildingblock fashion using two or more subassemblies as shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A. All these various configurations share the qualities of simplicity and free accessibility for entry and cleaning, and are very light in weight to avoid injury to a child in the event of accidental collapse. These playhouses are quickly erected or dismantled, and can be folded or rolled into a package of small dimensions for compact shipment or storage.

What is claimed is: 1. A playhouse adapted for installation on intersecting walls of a room to define an enclosed space bounded partly by the walls and a floor of the room, comprising a pair of flexible roof panels, each panel being formed as a right triangle with first and second side edges and a hypotenuse edge;

a pair of flexible wall panels secured to and depending from the first side edges of the roof panels;

stiffening means disposed along the junction of the wall panels and roof panels for making rigid the first side edges, the stiffening means having opposite ends adapted to contact the walls at points spaced from the intersection of the walls; and

suspension means adapted to be secured to the wall and to engage the roof panels at the intersections of the second side edges and the hypotenuse edges whereby the roof panels and wall panels are suspended from the wall to extend toward the floor.

2. The playhouse defined in claim 1 in which an elongated pocket is formed at the junction of each respective wall panel and roof panel, and in which the stiffening means comprises a pair of elongated support rods disposed in the respective pockets.

3. The playhouse defined in claim 2 and further comprising a coupler for securing together adjacent ends of the support rods.

4. The playhouse defined in claim 3 in which the coupler includes a longitudinal socket therethrough and a transverse socket therein extending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal socket, the support rods being engageable in the sockets.

5. The playhouse defined in claim 3 in which each roof panel includes a hole adjacent a junction of the second side edge and hypotenuse edge, and in which the suspension means comprises a hook extending through the hole in each respective roof panel.

6. The playhouse defined in claim 5 in which each support rod includes a resilient cap at one end thereof.

7. The playhouse defined in claim 6 in which the roof panels and wall panels are formed from polyethylene plastic sheet material, and the wall panels are generally rectangular.

8. The playhouse defined in claim 3 in which the suspension means is adapted to be secured at the intersection of the walls, and the support rods are secured to- 5 6 gether by the coupler to extend at right angles to each References Cited other, the roof panels being disposed with the hypotenuse edges in substantially abutting relation, and the second UNITED STATES PATENTS side edges being positionable against the walls. 985,002 2/1911 Brown 135--1 9. The playhouse defined in clann 3 in which the sus- 5 2 535,792 12/1950 Goodale pension means is adapted to be secured at the intersection of the walls, and the support rods are secured together 2818O78 12/1957 135' 1 by the coupler to be substantially linearly aligned with 3,182,672 5/1965 Blller each other, the roof panels being disposed with the second side edges in substantially abutting relation, and the hypot- 10 KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner.

enuse edges being positionable against the walls. 

